you're gunna miss me when i'm gone.

DAY ELEVEN
I don't know if it was because I ate coffee gelato at night or because I was SO excited to be going to Venice the next morning, but Thursday night was probably one of the worst sleeps (if you can even call it that) I have ever had.  I got into bed before midnight, but didn't actually sleep until well after four-thirty.  And in that span of over four hours, I scared three people in my apartment who thought I was a creeper.  I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I was pegged as robber/serial killer.  I guess I have been talking up Dexter a little too much lately... sorry Tarah!

Well anyway, we woke up at six-thirty to catch the bus to Venice!  I was so excited about going because in my family travels to Italy in the 1990s, we had never made it to Venice, and the movie "The Italian Job" just made the city on water look amazing!  As we drove north for four hours, the sunny Firenze weather slowly deteriorated into rainy and dreary, yet abnormal Venice weather.  "Piove a dirotto!"  Not only was it "raining buckets," but it was windy as well... to the point where you couldn't have an umbrella because it would invert itself constantly!  (Thank you mom for making me bring that stupid disposable poncho!) 

All I can say is that working with both Adventure Treks and Camp Pinnacle over the last couple of years has taught me a few things: 1.  You can NEVER NEVER EVER delta the weather... it is going to do what it is going to do, and you can't change it. 2. When you're stuck in a rainstorm and it is really easy to be miserable... DON'T because it is so much more fun just to have a dance party and smile it off because you might as well make the most of it!  There is ALWAYS a bright side... you just have to find it!

Inverted... unhappy.

When we got off the bus for the ferry to Venice, there was so much rain.  We all looked like gnomes in our ponchos and hooded rain jackets.  We all ambled down the path to the ferry... some running others tiptoeing through puddles.  The ferry was warm, but left most people with that angry face... you know the one that says, "Why am I here? And there is no way they are making me get off this boat!" Well... they made us get off.

Everyone was seemingly miserable, but there was definitely a bright side... we were in VENICE and it wasn't thundering/lighting out!  How cool is that?  Well... I thought it was pretty cool.  The waves were huge and splashed over the curbs(?) (considering the waterways are their streets!) and filled the pathways.  We were walking over bridge after bridge over the greenish water to find Piazzo San Marco, Venice's most famous square that houses the Church of St. Mark and very expensive stores, restaurants, and on this day a swimming pool of ankle deep water!  It was a trap!  We had about an hour to kill before we had to meet up with the group again for a tour, so we looked for Harry's Bar, which is the bar where Ernest Hemingway would write his books back in the day.  We should have known something was amiss when we walked in because the waiters were all dressed in white tuxes, while we were scantily clad with our ponchos, wet hair, and Chacos.  They brought us upstairs (where the ugly people sit) and we looked at the menu in disbelief... I could have fed a small country with the price of single Peach Bellini (16 euro) or a slice of chocolate cake (25 euro).  I settled with one of the cheapest things I saw on the menu, a cappuccino, and drank that while I snuck cookies into my mouth while the men in tuxes were not on the prowl.  I felt cheap, but I also liked it because my cookies were already paid for!

Carrie, Emily, Danielle, & Me Gator chomping

Looking at the Rialto Bridge

In the distance we could see some blue sky peeking out from behind the monstrous clouds.  There was hope!  So Danielle and I went to San Marco to meet up with the group for the walking tour.  At this point, the weather seemed to completely change... Italian weather must be bipolar because it can change several times before I have even made a decision on what flavor gelato I would like (no exaggeration... well maybe a little, but you get the point).  Anyway, let me start off with Venice is awesome.  It is the one place I have been that truly matched my expectations (besides the cleanliness).  The roads were waterways and canals that snaked through the city.  All dead ends ended with a canal and the buildings were all naturally old with old brick showing through behind the colorfully painted facades.  Everything seemed surprisingly real to me.  It was beautiful.  Unfortunately, it is a city that is falling to the sea... they need pylons to secure the heaviest buildings and the water level continues to rise.  Also, one day Venice will be a ghost town only filled with curious tourists because it is too expensive and difficult a lifestyle to live anymore.  The population is quickly dwindling as people grow up and move a way to a more convenient city.

The tour led us all throughout the city and up to the famous Rialto Bridge.  The waterways were filled with the classic gondolas and their gondoliers, as well as an excessive amount of trash.  I guess when you live on an island you have to dump your trash (sewage) somewhere... ew.  It is FORBIDDEN to swim in the water, for health reasons.  If I were to follow any law, it would probably definitely be that one.  That water had seen better days.  It didn't detract from my love of the city though, because there was a quaint charm about it, once you escaped the tourists hogging San Marco, of course.  I feel like I could live there... it just seemed perfect.  I could tell on our tour guide's face how much he loved Venice.  he grew up there and knew nothing different.  How cool would it be to grow up in a place like Venice?

Well anyway, when the tour finally ended, Tarah, Savannah, and Christina and Danielle and I met up to walk around for a bit on our own before heading back to the ferry.  We walked around semi-aimlessly until we reached the bridge and took an excessive amount of pictures as did an excessive amount of other tourists.  There is no patience in a tourist's trap like the Rialto Bridge.  But it was worth the elbows and umbrellas to the face because the view down the Gran Canale was absolutely gorgeous.  The sun was at a perfect shinning position over the water, the boats and gondolas were in complete action, and the colorful homes on the side looked beautiful.  You can't not like Venice.  Wait, was there a raging storm two hours ago?

I don't know if you remember the part of "Pitch Perfect" where Anna Kendrick went to the audition for the "Bellas" and sang that song while playing with the cup.  Well that song became the theme song of our ENTIRE time in Venice.  It was more than stuck in our minds, it was ingrained into them.  We couldn't stop singing it.  If you don't know what I am talking about, check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhECTE2-Oqc --THAT SONG!  It is addictive.  I will apologize for getting it stuck in your mind now.  "Oh, I know you're gunna miss me when I'm gone."

"To build a city where it is impossible to build a city is madness in itself, but to build one of the most elegant and grandest of cities is the madness of genius."
-Alexander Herzen 

"It is held by some that this word VENETIA signifies VENI ETIAM, that is, come again, and again, for however oft you come, you will always see new things, and new beauties."
-Jacopo Sansovino

 

Once our time was up, we headed back to the ferry and climbed on.  The only part of the day that was actually efficient was the process of pulling out of the dock and boating to the mainland.  Other than that the day was a cluster of mishaps because of the rain.  Oh well, it turned out great!  We shared the channel back to the mainland with beautiful, multi-million dollar yachts and cruise ships docked along the coast.  Once back to the bus, we drove a very short distance until reaching the hotel, which was a very bazaar-looking establishment adorned with a Las Vegasy-esque feel to it.  It was sort of comical.  We quickly got settled and waited until we were we scheduled to meet downstairs to walk to the"very close" dinner reservation.  It was NOT close.  Fifteen minutes later, in the freezing cold we strolled up to a restaurant in the middle of what seemed to be a ghost town.  I did not pack appropriately for Italy.  Who knew it would be freezing temperatures in the summer?  That's not what the pamphlet said!

The food was actually pretty good though!  We had a pasta dish with vegetables (finally something green!), a chicken on the bone with potatoes, and a flan for dessert.  I approved.  It lasted a little long though... by the time two hours had elapsed, I was ready to get to sleep considering I had slept only two hours the night before.  I was wiped!

Back at the hotel I showered and immediately went to bed.  It was such a great sleep until I woke up at six-thirty shivering.  What is this?!?  I actually went as far is pulling that nasty comforter that probably has never seen a washing as far as my legs.   Well... Buongiorno I suppose!

logistics day.

DAY ELEVEN

Venice from an areal view!! So excited!

ATTENTION FRIENDS: Tomorrow I leave for Venice with the program, so I will not be on my computer for Friday and possibly Saturday, but I will fill you in on all the details as soon as I return!

Today, besides being a school day, turned into a logistics day since we have to leave early tomorrow for Venice, so this post probably won't be very long!  Waking up just seems to get harder as the days go on because we fill our days with so much activity and sleeping is often hard to come by... But this morning I met up with Carrie at a cafe on Verdi for a cappuccino and a croissant!  It was nice to have a change of pace for the morning.

Italian class was actually more productive today because we learned the gerund (present participle), or the -ing ending after we took a quiz.  It's funny because classes at University of Florida are only fifty minutes long, so that is usually the length of an exam, whereas here the classes are two and a half hours, so when Marta said that we had a small quiz that would take forty minutes... well lets just say that seems pretty long.  NOT a short quiz!!  The hardest part is actually getting used to sitting in class for two and a half hours... it's harder than it sounds.  Really.  Allora, the quiz was really easy because it covered all the review material that Alessia had already taught us.  Go Alessia!  Anyway, the new information doesn't seem too complicated, yet.  The thing about languages is that something can seem easy, but then there are ALWAYS irregulars and exceptions to the rule... it makes something that is seemingly so easy, so hard!

It always surprises me that English is supposedly the hardest language to learn... I guess it is probably because I can speak it, but still... Let's just say I am glad I am not learning Chinese right now.  Now that language looks impossible!

After our break during Italian class, where I ate an apple for lunch, we played a team game where we formulated a question from a statement, and the other team had to decide if what we said was correct or not.  I will start with saying that "un costume di bagno" is NOT a dressing room in a department store, but a bathing suit... Rookie mistake.  My team... team "Ciao Bella" lost. Big time.  I don't know what we were thinking but we were all just struggling.  One of the statements said, "a friend invites you to a party, but you don't know if you want to go."  The girl on my team responds with "is he fun or is he annoying?"  So basically she was forming her response on the basis that she would only go to the party if the host was fun.  My teacher didn't understand that at all.  It was pretty comical.

After class we headed to Wine tasting class, where I almost fell asleep.  I don't know what it is about three o'clock in the afternoon, but it must be nap time because EVERYONE practically ran out of the place at the break in search of COFFEE!!!  Maybe Livia just goes way too far in depth for our little brains and two and half hours is a lot to listen to... anyway, by the time the actual tasting came about we were ready for something other than lecture!  The wines today were all delicious!  We first tasted a "feminine" white wine, a Pinot Noir, and then a Barolo.  They were all so different but offered such great flavor!  I felt actually, for the first time I might add, like I understood what the smells were.  In the Barolo I definitely smelled essences of chocolate and licorice, while in the white, pear and green apples!  This is real. What?

After class, Carrie and I went to the "Tutto 99 Cent" store and Conad to get some snacks for Venice and some other toiletries needed for the apartment.  Shopping for living purposes! Ahh! It's continuing to hit me... I LIVE HERE!  I don't know why but we go through toilet paper like water here... I know everything in the US is bigger, but seriously! The size of these rolls is sub par at best. There are eight of us in this apartment! Oh well... I always go back to the fact that, it doesn't matter because I'm in ITALY!

I got back to the apartment with no real plans until Erika invited me to go to the Gelato Festival with her and Cole.  It was ONLY five euro for five little cups of gelato (small meaning my normal size).  When we walked up to the meeting area accidentally, the guide of the gelato walk (which provided us with the discounted price) asked us for our names... we told her that we signed up late and she just wrote our names down.  We pretty much snuck into the festival.  It was legit.  We were only tasting our second cup when we heard that they were doing a free gelato seminar... so of course we went and listened for an hour as they handed out free samples of the WEIRDEST type, but homemade gelati ever!  One was Gorgonzola with honey drizzle,  walnuts and pistachios.  Now I know I told you I like cheese... and I DO, but that might have been the strangest thing I have EVER tasted.  It was kinda good, but it was just so unexpected that it was almost gross.  It's hard to explain... They also provided us with a small orange gelato cocktail and an apple sorbet with persecco.  The apple one was so awesome, but the cocktail was a bit strange...

After that we were pretty much full and we still had two free gelato tastings left on our coupon!  Luckily the festival is open until Sunday night, so we can come back after Venice!  WOO!  Once it started getting chilly we decided it was time to go, and I thought that my other roommates might be curious where I was at this point... so we started back when we saw a mob of people surrounding this man in a hat.  He was doing this weird magical routine where he would pull random people out of the crowd, dress them up, and make them do strange things.  Only in Europe would people be so captivated by an old man performing magic in the middle of the road.  He would scare people when they weren't pay attention and carried out a language to his contestants through a whistle.  It was pretty entertaining, but Erika and I were standing in the front row... starting to feel nervous that we would be dragged into the show.  We left after leaving a few cents in his hat and headed back to the apartment to pack for VENICE!

What started off as a casual, not super exciting day ended with a BANG!  I am glad Erika and Cole got me to join them at the festival.  Small gestures of kindness are awesome, as is gelato!  Sorry for the short, pictureless post, but I didn't get may pictures in today and I have to get to sleep because I have to wake up early for... I think you know... VENICE!!  (I hope the weather lied... because supposedly it is no higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit and rainy!!) Gah! Wish me luck!

Ci vediamo sabato sera o domenica!

PS: Mom, see Erika and I do hang out!  I will add a picture when I get a copy when she posts them on facebook! Love you <3 Baby Bear 

ciao bella!

DAY TEN

View from il Duomo across Firenze 

Last night ended being a lot of fun.  After we left the pub, we went to another bar next door and danced!  It is strange because on the UF in Florence program, only about seven guys were signed up, but it seems like every guy who decided to go backpacking this summer ended up in Firenze at that bar last night.  The place was a madhouse and an interesting mix of diversity; Australians, Spanish, Italian, American, you name it, they were there!

This morning I woke up pretty early and read for a while until my stomach called me into the kitchen for some breakfast.  I made an egg sandwich with salami... I am starting to feel like Frances from the children's book "Bread and Jam for Frances."  That is all I eat these days!  I was really excited all morning because today we decided to climb il Duomo!  First, Tarah and I got dressed really quick to fill up the water bottles at the fresh water fountain at the Piazza di Signorina and exchange money at this really sketchy place on the way.  I know that sounds promising... but it was actually legit!  GO THERE is you come to Firenze and you need to exchange American dollars into euro!

Poi, we went back to the Central Market to buy more fruits because they are so delicious and fresh here and they are CHEAP!  Apples and cherries and pineapple, oh my!  I am beginning to fall in love with the little, old Italian vendors who smile at you and speak little to no English, but try so hard to understand our lacking speech as we point to all the different fruits we want to taste.  They are all just so sweet.  What I can do without are the young Italian men... again they are just too "friendly."  It's funny because all the young men here say "Ciao Bella," trying to get your attention (ew gross), but last night, Cole, Erika's boyfriend left our apartment and said, "Ciao Bella!" to her.  It was so cute because we all knew what he was referring to.

Dopo il Mercato, we returned to our apartment to fix our own lunch!  We made pancetta pasta with vegetables and pineapple on the side!  It was so good I almost confused us with real Italian chefs!  I am proud at how we have been dividing up tasks in the kitchen and buying food items for shared meals.  We REALLY live here!  The main difference between travel and study abroad, besides actually getting a chance to relax and spread out the adventures, is that you need to create a system of living.  You have to get into a groove that is economically feasible over the weeks you are living there.  As amazing as eating the Italian cuisine out every night sounds, YOU CAN'T do that...

Anyway, we finally left for il Duomo and I was so excited!!  We first checked out the interior of the chapel, but decided to zoom through that and join the line for the hike up to the top.  When we saw the line we were a little discouraged, but then we remembered that we get to skip the lines with our university museum passes!  Even though I felt like a jerk cutting in front of those hundred(ish) people who had probably been waiting for over an hour, I was just too excited and too impatient to wait in line.  That museum pass... I don't even know, it's incredible.  So... I know Rick Steves says that there are 463 steps to the top, but I counted 458.  Awkward.  Usually is Rick says it, it's true, but I definitely counted them ALL!  I even sang "Halfway There" at step 231!  The steps were very cool though; all different sizes and heights, some spiraling, some so caved in you almost have to duck.  It all only added to my excitement!!  The view from the top is MOST DEFINITELY worth the eight euro it costs.  It was truly fantastic.

The top was gorgeous!  The weather was perfect for the top of il Duomo... it was windy, but the temperature was fabulous!  You could see across all of Firenze; our apartment building, the Santa Croce, the Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, all the hills in the countryside, and all our unmarked territory in the city.  I can't describe how satisfying it felt to be up there staring all the terracotta-colored roofs, tiny streets, and Gothic style churches of "our" Italian city!

One of my favorite parts about being in Italy is experiencing it with some amazing friends.  After blindly signing up for this program, I was so excited to find out how many beautiful people would be joining me!  Being able to share this trip some great friends has, not only improved my friendships with them, but has enhanced our ability to travel to other cities across Italy together!
              

So after taking a million pictures atop il Duomo and soaking up all its perfection, we started down the 463, (scratch that), 458 steps to the bottom, where we felt somewhat accomplished and my legs were involuntarily shaking.  After relaxing a bit in the apartment, we left for this cocktail bar called Art Bar near the Arno.  I got this drink that supposedly was pineapple (ananas), but truly tasted like limeade.  The atmosphere of the joint was cute, but they didn't offer any food other than snacky items--chips and some rice crackers (of course bland shades of starch).  The best part of the drink; however, was the succulent piece of pineapple that was hanging on the lip of the glass.  It was so flavorful.  The pineapple in Italy is beyond delicious.  Today at lunch we all finished an entire pineapple... we will need to buy more of that.

For dinner we went to this pizza place called Gusta Pizza that EVERYONE raves about on oltrarno.  They make personal pizzas with only a few select choices of pizzas.  I picked a salame piccante pizza (duh) and it was awesome!  One of the best pizzas I have had in a long time; fresh mozzarella and basil, spicy salame, some delicious tomato sauce, and great dough all cooked in a wood stove!  SO DELICIOUS!  By the time we finished eating, the sun was about to set across the Arno, so we ran over to the bridge after the Ponte Vecchio and watched the sun set.  It was beautiful and as we watched this street band play.  This atmosphere is so awesome.     

Gah!  It is going to be so hard to leave Italy!  Luckily I still have over a month left to enjoy myself.  Our Italy bucket list is slowly getting marked off as we visit museums and gardens, carry the "Leaning Tower of Pisa," eat gelato (and lots of it), have many moments with David, watch an Italian sunset, become friends with the "Forno man," try to talk in Italian, and climb il Duomo.  There are so many more things we have planned over the course of our study abroad!  Oh right... I am STUDYING abroad, not just eating/laughing/having the time of my life/smiling abroad!!!  I have to go finish writing a paper for my wine class about the landscape of Pisa and how it affects the production of wine there!  Ci vediamo domani!

"Ciao Bella!"